South Carolina Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program on the Land Conservation Assistance Network

South Carolina Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program
Create an Account
last updated: April 2022

In 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), along with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), signed the South Carolina Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Agreement granting the management and oversight of the program to SCDNR.

This voluntary agreement is between private, non-federal landowners and SCDNR, and is designed to encourage their participation in the recovery of the species. Landowners work with SCDNR to establish management requirements necessary to maintain baseline RCW populations on their property. In return, by establishing and maintaining these land management practices, landowners are protected from accidental or unintentional losses of RCW habitat so long as the land management methods being implemented are not in conflict with the recovery of the species.

A popular example of this protection afforded to a landowner is the loss of an RCW cavity tree from prescribed fire. Similar actions that As long as landowners fulfill the conditions of their land management agreement, corrective or punitive actions administered by the USFWS are unnecessary. This instills a sense of security for the landowner regarding future land use, and frequently does not require the landowner to shift their land management practices if they already provide beneficial habitat improvements for RCW’s.

In order to register in a Safe Harbor Agreement, a landowner must work with SCDNR to establish a baseline RCW population on the property. Additionally, they will determine land management activities the landowner must perform in order to prevent dropping below the baseline population. During this time, it can also be determined if the landowner is eligible for federal funding through the Landowner Incentive Program to help them complete their land management goals. While the goal of a Safe Harbor Agreement is to increase the RCW population by properly managing pine habitat, the landowner is afforded flexibility in their land management practices. However, the landowner must inform SCDNR and USFWS 60 days prior to performing management activities that deviate from the Safe Harbor Agreement.

Contact South Carolina Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program

REMINDER: This listing is a free service of LandCAN.
South Carolina Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Program is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.